Sheboygan Common Council sets Ryan recall election for Jan. 17

Aldermen still considering whether to force mayor out

Dec. 5, 2011

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The Common Council unanimously and without discussion voted Monday night to order an election to recall Mayor Bob Ryan on Tuesday, Jan. 17, apparently the first in Sheboygan's history.

The council voted after City Clerk Sue Richards officially submitted her confirmation of 4,481 signatures collected by supporters of the recall effort this fall. That number was far more than the 4,121 signatures needed to force a recall.

Richards disallowed 242 signatures for being duplicate names, containing out-of-town addresses and other reasons, she said.

The Jan. 17 date is set because state law requires that the election be held six weeks after the election is ordered, Richards said.

With at least six candidates already having declared their intention to run in the recall race, that date is sure to be a primary. If no one gets more than 50 percent of the votes cast that day, the top two vote-getters would be due to face off on Feb. 14.

Richards, however, is asking the state Government Accountability Board, which oversees elections, to allow the city to hold the runoff on Feb. 21, which is the regular spring primary election date. Holding a separate recall runoff election on Feb. 14 would cost the city about $20,000, Richards says.

"I've been in constant contact with the GAB. I will probably be hearing from them shortly" whether the runoff date can be moved, she said Monday night.

The recall effort was launched in the wake of Ryan's repeated episodes of public drunkenness, most recently a weekend binge in Elkhart Lake that included Ryan being involved in a tavern tussle that drew police.

Pictures of Ryan passed out on a table later made it onto the Internet.

Meanwhile, aldermen are still discussing whether to seek Ryan's ouster through a quasi-judicial hearing and have retained attorneys to build a case against the mayor.

A Committee of the Whole meeting is scheduled for Wednesday night when aldermen are expected to get an update in closed session from special prosecutor Steven Biskupic and local attorney Joseph Voelkner.

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Ryan challenged the validity of the petitions, saying organizers did not offer a valid reason to recall the mayor. Richards rejected that challenge, however, after conferring with City Attorney Steve McLean.

So far, there are six announced challengers to Ryan in the recall election. They are former state Rep. Terry Van Akkeren, who lost to Ryan in the 2009 mayoral election, Ald. Kevin MatiChek, who helped organize the recall, South High School senior Asher Heimermann, Sheboygan residents Mark Hermann and Brian Biever, and Roberta Filicky-Peneski, who said Monday she would run.

Harbor Centre Business Improvement District Manager Randy Schwoerer also is expected to announce he is running and is expected to make an announcement Tuesday night.

Ryan is automatically a candidate on the recall ballot.

Another recently announced candidate, Sarah Oyler, has dropped out, Richards said Monday. Two others who had announced they were running had previously dropped out as well.

To qualify for the recall election, challengers need to collect at least 200 signatures but no more than 400 from qualified city electors between Tuesday and 5 p.m., Tuesday, Dec. 20.